System and method for interactive animations for enhanced and personalized video communications

ABSTRACT

A videoconferencing system and method using personalized, 3D interactive animations across screen barriers. Via auditory, behavior, visual, or computer-inputted cues, preloaded images, sounds, and gestures as well as customized images, sounds, and gestures can be manipulated and sent into and across one or more videoconference feeds in the form of animated sequences. These images, sounds, and gestures can be mapped onto the images of users&#39; faces or other features within the video feed frame.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/916,096, filed Dec. 13, 2013, the disclosure of which, including anymaterials incorporated therein by reference, is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Video conferencing has evolved over the past several years from asimplistic, two-party video communication system to a more advanced,multi-party video communication system, for example, through use of 2Danimated overlays and rendering solutions. Some solutions such asSkype®, Google Hangout®, and Tango® have evolved in the space of videocommunications and conferencing technologies. For example, GoogleHangout® uses 2D artificial visual add-ons such as an image ofsunglasses overlaid on the real-time video frames during a live videoconferencing session so that it looks like the user is wearingsunglasses. Similarly, Tango® provides 2D animations that run over thetop of the video screen. For example, a user in Tango® can have heartsfloat up the screen. While Hangouts® may have 2D images that interactwith the user through their facial position, Tango® does not have evenoffer interactive 2D animations.

Further, video messaging has traditionally been non-interactive, where asender simply captures a video and sends it as a message to one or morereceivers. The receiver(s) use a suitable display device to receive themessage and plays it back. Video messaging is similar to text messaging,except that a user sends a video clip instead of a text message. Liketext messaging, video messaging can be sent in a one-to-one orone-to-many fashion. The responses can occur in a similar manner. Theone-to-many model is often called group messaging.

In prior video messaging systems, communication has been a non-realtime, non-interactive, one-way user experience. In other words, thesender (first user) of the message is unable to truly interact withreceiver (second user) because the sender is unable to see the reactionand/or emotional expressions of the receiver to his/her message at thetime the message is actually received.

All of these technologies have advanced in the past years by thepervasiveness of front-facing camera technology (integrated and mountsolutions) with several consumer electronics devices like phones,tablets, TVs, monitors, laptops, computing devices, etc.

In prior systems, users have limited options with respect to animations,images, and sounds because they are a pre-defined set of pre-renderedassets. Further, these are not generated in response to captured humanactions or emotional expressions (disregarding the basic use of acomputer mouse or finger on a touch screen).

Current videoconferencing models are hence limited by a so-called“screen barrier,” keeping the images in one user's camera feed out ofthe other user's video feed, and vice versa. In prior videoconferencingsystems and methods, such as U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2007/0242066 and U.S. Patent Application No. 2012/00069028, both ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference herein, an image appearing inthe video feed on the left has no ability to “move along” an axis andenter the video feed on the right, for example.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,099,462 similarly discloses a method of displayinginteractive effects in web camera communication, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2011/0025689, also incorporated by reference herein inits entirety, discloses a technique for auto-generating a target'svisual representation. U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2012/0069028 discloses use of video emoticons and U.S Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2007/0216675 describes digital video effects, bothapplications, which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

These teachings, however, among other things, do not allow a user tocustomize or personalize an animation sequence.

The present invention addresses, inter alia, this screen barrierproblem, as well as other problems prevalent in the art. An exemplarysystem and method in accordance with the present invention utilizes thevideoconference camera, activates motion-capture technology, capturesone or more images from the video feed, and uses those images inpersonalized animation sequences.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a videoconference environment, there are at least two users orparticipants who can interact with each other. There can be, of course,more than two users or participants. Each user can see his or her ownimage, as well as the image of the other user(s) or participant(s). Eventhough the users are, in a sense, brought closer together by video chattechnology, they are still separated by a screen, or “screen barrier,”which inherently keeps each user or participant isolated from theother(s). The screen barrier can be conceptualized in two fashions. Thefirst is the physical separation. Using a videoconference with twoparticipants as an example, there exists a barrier in the form of thephysical screen and physical distance from that screen separating thetwo participants. Although one participant may appear inches away inphysical distance, the other participant cannot physically reach intothe participant's space that is captured by the video camera. Theycannot touch each other or impact each other's space. The concept of thescreen barrier can be further taken into the digital space, where,although both video feeds (captured from each participant) can be seenside-by-side arrangement on each screen, there is not any actualinteraction between the two screens. Much like how a participant cannotphysically reach through the screen to impact the space of the otherparticipant, that participant has the same restrictions placed upon themin their captured video feeds. Although both video feeds (captured fromeach participant) can be seen in a side-by-side arrangement on eachscreen, there is not any interaction between the two video feeds eventhough they are digital. The participant on the left arranged video feedcannot reach into the video feed of the right arranged participant.Similarly, if the two video feeds were presented in an upper and lowerarrangement, an image seen in the bottom video panel has no ability to“move” from one video panel to another. Similar screen barriers canexist between any two or more videoconference video feeds arranged in avariety of configurations.

An exemplary system and method in accordance with the present inventioncan, for example, provide for a more interactive videoconferencingexperience through interactive animations that cross this “screenbarrier.” The term “screen” is here used to refer to any screen capableof being used in a videoconference, such as, but not by way oflimitation to a computer screen, tablet screen, television screen, smartphone screen, or projection screen (where the surface upon which theprojection occurs can be 2D, for example, a wall, or 3D, for example, acloud of smoke.) The present disclosure contemplates systems and methodsdescribed herein operating similarly on any and all capable screens, notmerely those listed herein.

Certain exemplary embodiments of the present system and method allow auser to generate new images that can be used in the personalizedanimation sequences through gestures. In certain embodiments, thepresent system and method utilizes the videoconference camera, activatesmotion-capture technology, captures one or more gesture sequencesconsisting of bodily gestures or gestures made with a stylus from thevideo feed, and uses those images in personalized animation sequences.

One exemplary embodiment of the system and method provides dynamic andreal-time animated images or objects, (the terms “images” and “objects”when in reference to visual items in a video feed or video panel arehere used interchangeably), by using advanced augmented reality tools.These objects are not confined to a predetermined sequence of frames orconfined to one user's video feed. For example, one user is able to senda kiss from the video feed of one user to the other. For a user to senda kiss during the video chat session, the system and method could notonly auto respond with “personalized visual objects,” for example, auser's lips, but also augment the real expression of the kiss with acontinuous motion of flying object of the user's lips which lands on theother user's cheek or lips on his or her video feed. The lips, forexample, can start on one user's video feed and seamlessly end on theother feed, effectively breaking down the screen barrier. Both users seethe entire sequence, which includes an activation event and resultantaction.

Examples of such activation events are: a gesture, an expression, anaudio cue such as a particular noise or utterance of either party oruser to the videoconference or video messaging session, or a combinationof audio and visual cues, such as the user making the real-life motionof blowing a kiss with a smooch sound. A resultant action is a nearlyinfinite set of customizable multi-dimensional (2D or 3D) objects thatare dynamically generated or static objects with dynamic customizationbased on the system and method's contextual awareness as processed bythe system and method's software product during the video conferencingor messaging session.

To detect the activation events, the system and method in accordancewith the present invention first detects and then parses the variouscues in the audio and video streams. Other capture devices, such as handtracking devices, can also be used. One example of many could be:parsing the audio stream and performing a speech to text conversion inreal time to detect words or phrase like “I love you” when uttered by aparticipant to the videoconference. Another example of many could bedetecting and then parsing behavioral and/or visual cues, such as auser's finger-movements, movements using a stylus, motions such as the“motion of blowing a kiss.” These activation events are detected by thesoftware, which triggers the resultant actions. In the alterative, anactivation event could also be pressing a key on a keyboard. Theresultant image would be a 2D or 3D object. Using the example of theflying kiss, the system and method in accordance with the presentinvention would generate a 3D object representing the lips of the user,which would then fly out of the users screen and into his girlfriend'sscreen, landing on the lips of his girlfriend (in the video feed). This3D object can be a predefined 3D model of the lips with dynamiccustomizations of the user's lips or the 3D model could be acontextually aware real-time (dynamic) capture of the 3D image of theuser's lips.

Further, the girlfriend's response, for example, could be a kiss back.The direct “expression of kissing back” or an indirect “expression ofsaying I love you, too” could be an activation event trigger for thegirlfriend's video capture feed and the software can detect theseactivation events automatically (as before) and create amulti-dimensional object as her resultant action.

In addition, the context-aware multi-dimensional customized animationscan be text transformed into 3D animation texts and overlaid on ananimated object, for example, an animation of a flying plane with abanner behind it with the animated text on it. Alternatively, snippetsof the actual video can also be transformed onto a 3D object. Forinstance, the video can play on someone's name or it can be integratedinto a visual object on the screen, for example, by transforming it intoa 3D beach towel and integrating into a custom ocean background orintegrating it onto the surface of a sphere or other objects. Toimplement this, the video can be used as the texture of the objects. Anobject model can be created and then “painted” with the video texture.So instead of traditional static textures, the texture would becontinually changing. That would allow having the video of the user onnontraditional backgrounds that move.

As mentioned above, during a videoconference or video messaging session,a user can use his/her finger (or other feature) as a light pen andcreate real-time animations. For example, the user could draw a hatusing his finger (touching a screen or drawing out in mid-air). In thevideoconferencing scenario, this screen area could be the video feed ofany of the users and/or a separate screen area (for example, a sidevideo). In a video messaging scenario, the user could draw on any of thevideo feeds. Subsequent to drawing the animation using the finger as alight pen, the user can have the option to attach it to any object onthe screen. For example, the user could draw a hat using his/her fingeras a light pen and later place it on say, the head of his/her friendduring the video conferencing session. The hat would then move on thescreen according to that tracked object's (the head's) position. The keycapability of being able to create a live light pen and draw real-timegraphics (2D and 3D) and transition the graphics into the video feedwith an animated flow empowers the users to dynamically generate contextaware visuals and thus help them transform the video conferencingconversation to be more expressive and interactive. A user can also takea mouse or other pointing or drawing device and draw on his or her ownscreen or screen of the other user. For example, a user can draw amustache on the other user's face, which then stays on the other user.

These animations also have the ability to move in and out of the screen.For instance, a balloon or other object animation could start in thevideo feed. The animation can continue up out of the feed onto whateveris around it. The reverse can be possible, too. For example, a squirrelcan be shown to be crawling above the feed region, and then jumps downonto the feed and lands on the user's head. The squirrel is, in essence,breaking the digital screen barrier, as previously discussed.

These animations/models are context aware (that can interact with theuser) and can be created not just by the creators of the software, butalso by other animators and modelers. The system can allow for creatinganimations and attributing properties to the animations so that theyknow how to act. For instance, an animation of a flying kiss will knowits starting point (the user's lips), its destination point (the otheruser's lips), and its actions it takes along the way (making a kissingsound and kissing animations when it reaches the destination).

The control interface can also be extended across multiple platforms anddevices like using a second screen device (e.g., smartphone) to controlthe animations instead of having to use the control input devices of theprimary screen (e.g., TV). The other device can be used to produce theactivation events and then control the movement and behavior of theanimations.

The present system and method also provides for targeted advertisingwith custom animations. A predefined set of 2D or 3D objects can beprovided by the advertiser and displayed to the user. During thevideoconference, the user may mention the word “sunglasses” or may bewearing one in reality or even have it positioned next to (and beingcaptured in the video feed). If authorized by the user, the system andmethod in accordance with the present invention can supply thisinformation to advertisers and provide custom animation of sunglasses tobe overlaid on/with visual objects of the video feed.

The present system and method can also provide for non-intrusive orminimally intrusive advertisements that are also context aware. These“non-intrusive” advertisements can appear in unused areas of the screenand/or video feed and move out of the way if an image or object in thevideo feed moves into the area they are containing or the user requeststhem to move (shooing them away). For instance, a baby polar bear from afamed soda company can hang out on the top corner. If the user raisestheir hand, the polar bear would move away to a free space on the screenand potentially the user could also remove the animation completely offthe screen. The system and method in accordance with the presentinvention can apply this behavior, where an element hovers in onelocation until “shooed” away or an object in the video feed moves intothe element's area, to all types of models and animations, not solelyadvertisements.

The system and method in accordance with the present invention also canhave applications in video messaging. A sender can send the videomessage along with a few interactive animations pertinent to the videomessage. When the receiver opens the video message recorded by thesender, the front facing camera of the receiver can also be turned on.While the receiver is viewing the message along with the front facingcamera capturing the receiver, the animations can be activated andoverlaid on the video capturing the receiver's face, for example, suchas a kiss on the forehead of the receiver during the video message. Theinteractive animations will be sent along with the video message or theycan be part of the video messaging platform installed on the sender andreceiver device or a combination of both real-time transmission andinherent messaging platform support. When the receiver opens the videomessage to view it, the front facing and/or mounted camera can beactivated to begin capturing the receiver. There can be an optionalcondition to require the user's face to be detected in order for themessage to play or continue to be played. During the message, aninteractive animation, for example, of the sender's lips, will fly intothe receiver's video feed and be placed on the receiver's forehead inthe receiver's video being captured. This interactive animation (of thesender's lips appropriately time synchronized with the audio feed of themessage for flying into the receiver's screen and landing on thereceivers forehead) can then complete the action of kissing on thereceiver's forehead in the captured video.

The system and method thus also enables a non-real time video sessionbetween the sender and the receiver to share and interactively express apersonalized experience; captures the receiver's response in real-timeand send it back to the sender with animations from the receiver tosender; and makes the video messaging experience more conversational byallowing the second user to record a response using the system andmethod and send it back to the first user.

The present invention can enable a non-real time, interactive andpersonalized video messaging experience with the use of cameras (e.g.,front facing or mounted cameras) and interactive animations integratedand/or built with a video messaging platform. The animations will besent with the video message or will be part of the video messagingplatform solution or a combination of both to support any furtheroptimizations.

The present system and method thus can allow dynamic, personalized,real-time animated sequences to move from one screen to another during avideo chat, a video message, or other comparable communication medium.These animation sequences, once created, may also interact with userssuch as change position or size with respect to the video region orhaving the user's stream appear on an object. The animated sequences canconsist of audio, video, or a combination of audio and video elements.

The movement of the animated sequence can be triggered by cues in theaudio, such as a particular noise or voice cue. These animated sequencescan also be triggered by a visual cue, such as a movement or gesture.

The elements contained within the animation sequence can be drawn from apreloaded image or animated sequence bank, images tracked and capturedby the video camera, or images selected by and loaded from advertisersvia a third-party source such as an internet upload. The present systemand method also allows a user to create images by using either a fingeror a stylus to draw an object in the air, which is then captured by thesystem and method and transposed into an image used in an animation. Thepresent system and method also provides for a voice-to-text feature thatprocesses a user's speech, converts the speech to text, and applies thetext into the video feed, either in isolation or in connection with animage.

One aspect of the present invention provides a system, method, andcomputer program product using dynamic, real-time, animated objectsduring a video chat or conference, which may have the ability to “move”from the screen of one user to the screen of another user. In oneembodiment, each user can see his or her own image taken by a camera, aswell as the image of the other user in a side-by-side or top-and-bottomlayout. In one aspect, the first user can drag an icon, emoji, oranimoji onto the image of the other user, and the icon, emoji, oranimoji is activated to create an image or sound coming from the firstuser to the second user or vice versa. As such, the icon, emoji oranimoji is interacting with both users instead of just with one user.This allows the sending user to see the reaction of the receiving user,allowing for a more real-time, human and realistic interaction.

In another aspect of the present invention, there can be an activationof an animated object that may be triggered by cues in the audio orvideo stream.

In another aspect of the present invention, the action that results fromthe activation can be customizable or pre-defined by a user.

In another aspect of the present invention, the activation feature, oncetriggered may be a video animation or an audio clip.

In another aspect of the present invention, a voice-to-text feature maybe incorporated into the video animation.

In another aspect of the present invention, a stylus may be utilized tocreate animation that will identify a reference point on the video imageand track its location.

In another aspect of the present invention, graphics from advertisersand/or advertisers' products or services may have their images animatedto interact with the video stream.

“Dynamic” can be interchangeably used herein with “lively,” “active,”“energetic,” “vigorous,” “altering,” “varying,” “shifting,” “moving,”“exchanging,” and synonyms thereof, although not limited to these.

“Video chat” can be interchangeably used with “video messaging,”“teleconference,” “video conversation,” “tele-meeting,” “audiovisual,”and synonyms thereof, although not limited to these.

“Animated” can be interchangeably used herein with “animation,”“active,” “lively,” “energetic,” “cartoon,” “drawing,” “caricature,”“sketch,” “picture,” “graphics,” “3D-model,” “3D-animation,”“2D-rendered animation,” “illustration,” “depiction,” “exaggeration,”“outline,” “emoticon,” “animoji,” “emojicon” and synonyms thereof,although not limited to these.

“Action” can be used interchangeably herein with “activity,” “movement,”“act,” “deed,” “feat,” “drive,” “effort,” “movement,” “motion,” andsynonyms thereof, although not limited to these.

“Object” can be used interchangeably herein with “target,” “entity,”“body,” “objective,” “aim,” “figure,” “frame,” and synonyms thereof,although not limited to these.

“Trigger” can be used interchangeably herein “activate,” “cause,”“generate,” “source,” “foundation,” “root,” “basis,” “grounds,” andsynonyms thereof, although not limited to these.

“Interact” can be used interchangeably herein with “interrelate,”“network,” “relate,” “intermingle,” “interdepend,” “link,” “join,” andsynonyms thereof, although not limited to these.

“Ads” can be used interchangeably herein with “advertising,”“promotion,” “marketing,” and synonyms thereof, although not limited tothese.

“Interactive” can mean, for example, interacting with objects in or onthe video feed, rather than just being present on the screen, i.e.,without any knowledge of what is in or on the video feed.

“Video feed” can represent video captured from a camera, but alsopre-recorded videos (e.g., YouTube® etc.), as well as static image orcanvas as seen in the figures. “Video feed” and “video panel” can alsobe used interchangeably.

The summary presented herein is to introduce a number of concepts in asimplified form and is not intended to identify key, necessary, oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore,the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solveany or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a potential user interface in which a user can interactwith the feeds and animations in accordance with one aspect of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 shows a conceptualization of how transforming the incoming 2Dvideo feed into a 3D representation of the user space allows forseamless interaction with animations and transfer of animations orobjects between the spaces with which the feeds represent, in accordancewith one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows an overview of the processing and communication of a singleframe of the output feed in accordance with one aspect of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 4 shows an animation of the user's mouth being detected inaccordance with one aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description relates to some embodiments of the presentinvention pertaining to a system and method for interactive animationsand personalized video communications in a videoconference environment.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 discloses one embodiment of a userinterface according to the present embodiment. This interface allows afirst user (USER 1) 101 to videoconference with a second user (USER 2)102 by means of videoconferencing interfaces 103 and 104, which operateby transmitting video and audio between using cameras and microphonespresent in many computers, video game consoles, tablets, and smartphones, for example. In one embodiment, interfaces 103 and 104 use aform of videoconferencing, in which both parties or users appearonscreen simultaneously, either in a side-by-side or top and bottomconfigurations, for example. An alternate embodiment could include asystem and/or method where one user sees mostly or only the other user.These are options that would be understood to those having ordinaryskill in the art. FIG. 1. shows an exemplary screen barrier 117.

FIG. 1 also shows videoconferencing screens 103 and 104, each of whichis arranged according to the four-panel layout 106. In this embodiment,the upper-left panel 107 shows one user and the upper-right panel 108shows another user. The bottom-left panel 109 can contain pre-existingcontent that can be generated by either user or an independentthird-party. Examples of such content could be non-real time videorecordings or videos hosted on the internet. The bottom right panel 110,again, as only an example of one embodiment, contains a space forcontent generated by either user during the videoconference. Examplescould be an uploaded photo or mouse-drawn content. Alternate embodimentsof the present system and method could include the depicted four-panellayout 106 or various interface layouts consisting of more or fewerpanels, the number and layout left to the users' option, for example.

FIG. 1 further discloses a selection area 111 that provides space forone or more icons, emoji, or animoji. In the embodiment shown, theselection area 111 provides space for four animations: a smiley face112, lips 113, a finger 114, and a pencil 115. These icons provide bothusers to the videoconference with the ability to overlay an animation onthe video image of either the first or second user in the respectivepanel.

The smiley face 112 illustrates one example of functionality withrespect to static images. A user can select a smiley face 112 or anotherpreloaded fixed image and select where the user would like the imageplaced—e.g., in either video panel 107 or 108, or both, and the imagewill behave as though it were a real object in that digital space. Forexample, assuming each user to the videoconference appears in one ofpanels 107 or 108, and their entire face is visible in the panel, theuser could select a smiley face 112 and place the smiley face 112 on theimage of the other user in the videoconference. Using 3D modeling andother techniques familiar to those of skill in the art, the smiley face112 would appear on the other user's lips and behave as though it were areal object. In this manner, if the user turned his or her face thesmiley face 112 would turn as well, changing size and/or shape toaccount for its changing distance from the camera. Both parties would beable to see the animation effects via the four-panel layout 106.Furthermore, because, in this exemplary embodiment, the video panels areside-by-side, and because this embodiment of the system and method usestechniques known to those in the art to create images that look andbehave real, these animations appear to be “passed” from video panel tovideo panel. For example, the second user who accepted the smiley face112 could remove it from his or her face in his or her video panel andpass it across the screen into the sending user's video panel. Otherexamples might include a balloon that floats up and out of one videopanel and descends into the other video panel, or a beer mug that slidesfrom one person's hand in one video panel and into the other person'shand in the other video panel. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat examples of such images and functionality are capable of vastvariation. Hence, the present disclosure should not be understood aslimiting the examples to only those listed herein.

An additional functionality of the system and method exists with respectto substituting advertising images for preloaded fixed images such asthe smiley face 112. With this functionality, a user can select apre-loaded group of, for example, designer sunglasses and use the systemand method to overlay that image on the image of either the user's faceor the other user's face. This image can behave in a similar manner asthe smiley face 112 described above. Should a user or advertiser sochoose, either user can select a link located anywhere on interfaces 103or 104 that can connect the user with the advertiser's products.

Lips 113 illustrate one aspect of the present system and method'sfunctionality with respect to pre-loaded animations that can respond toeither a verbal or behavioral cue, for example. In this embodiment, thesystem and method described herein using software and techniques knownto those of skill in the art could respond to a verbal cue such as “Ilove you” and, in the recipient's video panel, send a floating kiss ontothe recipient's cheek or lips as visualized by lips 113 that moveforward and eventually land on the recipient's cheek in the video panel.A similar effect could be achieved by using motion capture techniquesknown to those of skill in the art to detect a user's sign language andsend an appropriate message. For example, should the user hold up thesign language symbol for “I love you,” the system and method would trackthat motion, recognize the symbol, and send the floating kiss onto therecipient's cheek in the video panel as just described. Again, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that examples of such images andfunctionality are capable of vast variation. Hence, the presentdisclosure should not be understood as limiting the examples to onlythose listed herein.

Finger 114 as shown in the selection area 111 represents anotherfunctionality of the system and method with respect to the creation ofentirely new images or sketched art used in videoconferencing viagesture. For example, users can draw on a screen continuously orinteracting with the screen as they draw, and it need not necessarily bedrawn and then placed. Using motion capture techniques and softwareapplications understood to those of skill in the art, this embodiment ofthe system and method as described herein could track the movement of auser's figure as the user traced an image in the air, then transpose itinto an image that behaved in much the same way as the smiley face 112described above. For example, if a user were to trace the image of ahat, the system and method as described herein could create a hat thateither user could overlay onto the image of either user as representedin either video feed. The hat could then be passed back and forthbetween the video panels as though it were a real object, in much thesame way as the smiley face 112 described above. These features do notnecessarily need to be activated by buttons, but could be simplyrecognized by the system, for example, by detection or tracking. Thebuttons can be used to clarify functionality. Those skilled in the artwill appreciate that examples of such images and functionality arecapable of vast variation. Hence, the present disclosure should not beunderstood as limiting the examples to only those listed herein.

The pencil 115 represents another functionality of the system and methodwith respect to overlaying text into either visual panel. A user canselect the pencil animation, then select a font, size, location or otherfeature, and type text into the visual panel of his or her choice. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that examples of such images andfunctionality are capable of vast variation. Hence, the presentdisclosure should not be understood as limiting the examples to onlythose listed herein.

Selection area 111 also may include blank space 116, which, in someembodiments, may be used for non-intrusive advertisements. Suchadvertisements would, on a predetermined schedule, appear in blank space116 until and unless a user or participant to the videoconference shouldtake an action that occupies that screen space. For example, in someembodiments blank space 116 might overlap with either video panel 103 or104 or both. In such a scenario, if either visually occupies that visualspace in the panel, such as by waving a hand or moving his or her headinto that visual space, the advertisement would give way to thatoccupation and return when the user's movements no longer occupy thatvisual space.

FIG. 2 illustrates the 3D effect that one embodiment of the presentsystem and method disclosed effects on the users or participants to thevideoconference. In FIG. 2, the user's screen does not resemble thefour-panel embodiment 106 as outlined in FIG. 1, but rather asingle-panel full-screen embodiment showing the images of both partiesto the videoconference, here depicted as SCREEN1 201 and SCREEN2 202.

Diagram 203 illustrates a “before” videoconferencing scenario whereneither user has actuated any icon, emoji or animoji.

Diagram 204 illustrates how the present system and method uses animationto “cross” the “screen barrier” 205. In diagram 204, SCREEN2 202 hasused the present system and method to place a hat 206 on SCREEN1 201.Diagram 204 also depicts SCREEN2 in process of placing lips 207 onSCREEN1 201. Note that the lips 207 are here shown as hovering indigital space before they land on the face of Screen1 201.

The “after” image of SCREEN1 208 reveals the placement of the hat 206and the lips 207 on the user or participant of SCREEN1 201. This is thedigitally enhanced version of SCREEN1 201 as modified by the presentsystem and method that would appear in the video feed of some or all ofthe users or participants to the videoconference.

FIG. 3 discloses the operating sequence of one embodiment of the presentsystem and method. First, audiovisual recording hardware is activated.Non-exhaustive examples could include cameras and microphones attachedto and operating with phones, computers, tablets, or video gamemachines. The recording hardware then acquires audiovisual informationfrom the participant or user. Forms of such information could bestreaming, stored, or recorded audiovisual information. This informationis then transferred (“X-Fer”), for example, into the present system andmethod's software such that the present system and method's software canmanipulate the information. The present system and method's softwarethen constructs a suitable 3D representation of the visual elements inthe audiovisual information feed. The present system and method'ssoftware also activates appropriate animation sequences. For example, ifthe present system and method's software detects a human face, anappropriate animation sequence could be the floating kiss sequencepreviously described herein. Then, the present system and methodintegrates the animation sequence (“X-Fer”) with the 3D representation,such as mapping the kiss animation onto a 3D representation of a user'sface created from captured visual information. Lastly, the presentsystem and method displays the rendered audiovisual product to either orboth users in the videoconference via the audiovisual feeds andcorresponding displays on the users' devices.

FIG. 4 depicts how the present system and method operates in a two-paneldisplay 402 and enables an animation image, here lips 401, to map ontothe appropriate location on one user's face, then cross the screenbarrier 403 and map onto the appropriate location on the other user'sface.

Thus, one embodiment of many possible embodiments of the present systemand method begins with a user activating his or her videoconferencinghardware and initiating a videoconference with a second user. Using thefour-panel display 106 with selection area 111 as shown on screen 103,the first user can select an animation from the selection area 111,which will appear inside video feed 107 or 108. Or, the first user couldselect a different icon from inside the selection area that wouldactivate a personalized animation sequence that begins in video feed 107and ends in video feed 108, or vice versa. Or, a first user could alsoselect an icon from the selection area 111 that activates agesture-capture sequence wherein the first user motions within view ofthe hardware camera using the behavior sequences discussed above and thegesture is transcribed into an image incorporated into a personalizedanimation sequence appearing in either video panel 107 or 108, both 107and 108, or beginning in either 107 and ending in 108 or vice versa. Theuser is also able to generate and use these personal animation sequencesin substantially similar manner using either the two-panel display 402or the single-panel display 201.

Another embodiment of many possible embodiments of the present systemand method begins with a user activating his or her videoconferencinghardware and initiating a videoconference with a second user. During avideoconference, the first user can select an image, map it onto animage appearing in either video feed, manipulate that image as desiredwithin the video feed, and/or transfer the image between video feeds asdesired.

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one ofordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention, those ofordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate the existenceof variations, combination, and equivalents of the embodiments, methods,and examples provided herein. The invention should, therefore, not belimited by the embodiments and examples disclosed here, but by allembodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention asclaimed.

1. A method for videoconferencing comprising: activating at least oneaudiovisual capturing device suitable for a videoconference, whereinsaid audiovisual capturing device is communicating with at least oneinterface comprising at least one video display and at least one audiooutput; using said audiovisual capturing device to initiate avideoconference; using said audiovisual capturing device to captureaudiovisual data from at least one user in a videoconference, whereinsaid audiovisual data comprises at least one item of visual data, and,if present, at least one item of audio data; processing said audiovisualdata; if present, detecting at least one audio cue in said audio data;constructing a suitable 3D representation of said visual data;activating at least one animation sequence based on a selection by theat least one user using said selection icon or icons; integrating atleast one animation sequence with said audio cue, if present, and said3D representation into a personalized animation sequence; and displayingsaid personalized animation sequence on at least one interfacecomprising at least one video display.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinsaid selection icon is associated with at least one preloaded visualimage.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said selection icon isassociated with at least one visual image captured by the audiovisualcapturing device of claim 1 during the videoconference of claim
 1. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein said selection icon is associated with atleast one gesture capture sequence, wherein said gesture is captured bysaid audiovisual capturing device resulting in captured gesture datarendered into at least one visual image available for integration into apersonalized animation sequence.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein saidselection icon is associated with a text generation sequence whereinsaid user enters one or more text items and said text item appears in avideo feed either in isolation or in combination with an image or agesture.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said screen displays anarrangement comprising one or more video feeds, one selection area, andone audiovisual playback area wherein previously created audio and/orvideo recordings can be displayed and/or played back during saidvideoconference.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said screen displaysan arrangement comprising one or more video feeds, one selection area,one audiovisual playback area, and one live content creation areawherein one or more users to said videoconference can create contentduring said videoconference.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein one ormore users to said videoconference sends one or more of saidpersonalized animation sequences to another one or more other users insaid videoconference wherein said personalized animation sequencecomprises an animation sequence that appears to begin and end in onevideo feed.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said screen contains twoor more video feeds and said personalized animation sequence comprisesan animation sequence that appears to begin in one video feed and end inone or more different video feeds in a continuous manner.
 10. A computerprogram product for use with a videoconferencing device, said computerprogram product comprising: a computer usable medium having computerreadable program code means embedded in said computer usable medium forcausing a personalized animation sequence to appear on a suitable screenand cross a screen boundary, said computer readable program codecomprising: computer readable program code means for activating at leastone audiovisual capturing device suitable for a videoconference, whereinsaid audiovisual capturing device is connected to at least one screencontaining at least one video display and at least one audio output;computer readable program code means for using said audiovisualcapturing device to initiate a videoconference wherein at least one useris present; computer readable program code means for using saidaudiovisual capturing device to capture audiovisual data from at leastone user to a videoconference, wherein said audiovisual data comprisesat least one item of visual data and, if present, at least one item ofaudio data; computer readable program code means for processing saidaudiovisual data; computer readable program code means for, if present,detecting at least one audio cue in said audio data; computer readableprogram code means for constructing a suitable 3D representation of saidvisual data; computer readable program code means for activating atleast one animation sequence based on a selection by at least one userusing said selection icon or icons; computer readable program code meansfor integrating at least one animation sequence with said audio cue, ifpresent, and said 3D representation into a personalized animationsequence; and computer readable program code means for displaying saidpersonalized animation sequence on at least one screen containing atleast one video display.
 11. The computer program product of claim 10,wherein said selection icon is associated with at least one preloadedvisual image.
 12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein saidselection icon is associated with at least one visual image captured bythe audiovisual capturing device of claim 1 during the videoconferenceof claim
 1. 13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein saidselection icon is associated with at least one gesture capture sequence,wherein said gesture is captured by said audiovisual capturing deviceresulting in captured gesture data rendered into at least one visualimage available for integration into a personalized animation sequence.14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said selectionicon is associated with a text generation sequence wherein said userenters one or more text items and said text item appears in a video feedeither in isolation or in combination with an image or a gesture. 15.The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said screen displaysan arrangement comprising one or more video feeds, one selection area,and one audiovisual playback area wherein previously created audioand/or video recordings can be displayed and/or played back during saidvideoconference.
 16. The computer program product of claim 10, whereinsaid screen displays an arrangement comprising one or more video feeds,one selection area, one audiovisual playback area, and one live contentcreation area wherein one or more users to said videoconference cancreate content during said videoconference.
 17. The computer programproduct of claim 10, wherein one or more users to said videoconferencesends one or more of said personalized animation sequences to one ormore other users in said videoconference wherein said personalizedanimation sequence comprises an animation sequence that appears to beginand end in one video feed.
 18. The computer program product of claim 10,wherein said screen contains two or more video feeds and saidpersonalized animation sequence comprises an animation sequence thatappears to begin in one video feed and end in one or more differentvideo feeds.
 19. A program storage device readable by a machine,tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machineto perform method steps for creating a personalized animation sequenceand sending said personalized animation sequence across a screenbarrier, said method steps comprising: activating at least oneaudiovisual capturing device suitable for a videoconference, whereinsaid audiovisual capturing device is connected to at least one screencontaining at least one video display and at least one audio output;using said audiovisual capturing device to initiate a videoconferencewherein at least one user is present; using said audiovisual capturingdevice to capture audiovisual data from at least one user to avideoconference, wherein said audiovisual data comprises at least oneitem of visual data and if present at least one item of audio data;processing said audiovisual data; if present, detecting at least oneaudio cue in said audio data; constructing a suitable 3D representationof said visual data; activating at least one animation sequence based ona selection by at least one user using said selection icon or icons;integrating at least one animation sequence with said audio cue ifpresent and said 3D representation into a personalized animationsequence; and displaying said personalized animation sequence on atleast one screen containing at least one video display.
 20. The computerprogram product of claim 10, further comprising computer readableprogram code means for enabling said at least one user to draw on saidat least one screen.